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Prayer should be simple. My 8 year-old’s Bible Quiz League defines prayer as ‘talking with God.’ Simple right? But often it does feel a bit daunting. Trying to find the right words. Worried about whether we’re doing this right. And then we throw littles full of silliness and wiggles to the mix. It can feel more complicated. But it doesn’t have to be! Below I’m sharing some of my favorite ways to pray with littles. As we pray together, I hope it brings a sense of ease and relief. May our minds expand to embrace that prayer is more than the words we speak, but it is offered in Spirit and in truth. Prayer does not have to be dull. In fact, play can be prayer. Prayer can be fun.
Liturgies for Littles
Books of prayer (or Liturgies for Littles as I like to call them), are books of written prayers that can be helpful to read when we’re not sure where to start with prayer. Click here for a round-up of our favorite Prayer Books for Littles.
Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours is a monastic tradition where prayers are recited at morning, noon time, and evening. This may sound tedious to practice with littles, but it does not have to be. In our family we have found saying a short prayer at breakfast, lunch, and dinner to be a wonderful way to anchor our days in our Creator. Here are some simple, one sentence prayers to get you started:
- Morning: ‘Dear God, Thank you for this day. Amen.
- Midday: ‘Dear God, thank you for being with us. Amen’
- Evening: ‘Dear God, everything that has happened today we give to you. Amen’
You can add to these as feels fit for your day and family.
Sing your prayers
I have a wonderful friend who sings prayers before meals with her kids. This is an inviting, low pressure activity for all children. This video shows an example of how prayers can be sung: ‘Thank you for our food’ song.
Prayer Bracelets
Raising Prayerful Kids shared these prayer bracelets a while back that have actually become a morning benediction we use to send our big kids off to school. Each bead represents a prayer:
- Help us think like Jesus.
- Help us see like Jesus.
- Help us listen like Jesus.
- Help us speak like Jesus.
- Help us love like Jesus.
If playful prayer is a topic that interests you, go check out Raising Prayerful Kids by Stephanie Thurling and Sarah Holstrom
Breath Prayers
Breath Prayers are a helpful tool for believers of all ages. We have introduced them to our toddlers as a means of coping with big emotions. These Breath Prayers for Toddler cards are specifically designed to help little ones work through their fear. Also available in Spanish: Breath Prayers for Toddlers in Spanish
Prayer Labyrinth
Prayer Labyrinths are a concept that were introduced to me by Kutsu Companions. Whether creating a labyrinth on a piece of paper to trace, or making one with sidewalk chalk to walk, they can be a beautiful way to imagine our walk with Jesus through fun and movement.
Toddler Prayer Walk:
We partnered with On mission Moms to design this Prayer Walk Scavenger Hunt to help us engage in prayer for our communities. Also available in Spanish: Caminata de Oración
Lecto Divina
Lecto Divina is just a fancy word for praying scripture. Hands down, the Generation Claimed series by Emily Assell is my favorite series for reading scripture over my littles. With actual scripture on each page, these books affirm who our littles are in Christ. However if you don’t have access to these books, you could try reading any number of scriptures over your little. Check out this post on Biblical Affirmations for Preschoolers for a short list of verses to get started.
Play is Prayer
Something we talk a lot about in this space is viewing play as prayer. Why do you think this is the main way therapists engage with littles. Play is how children process the world. When we introduce play as a form of prayer, it opens the door for our littles to communicate with their heavenly Father in a way that is familiar. A way they can hand their burdens to Jesus, no matter how that looks like. We can set up a doll house, and see what thoughts pour out. Set up a sensory bin, and let them explore with their hands, making prayer an experience. Introduce playdough and see what they create. Take them on a nature walk and let them experience our Creator. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated. For our littles, play can be prayer.
Baby Devotions 
